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Profile evaluation please- GMAT 740, work in a small company [#permalink]

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29 Aug 2012, 19:50

Profile evaluation:Background:30 year-old male Asian American, married, has a 4 and a 5 year-old (does that matter?). Multicultural - Born in China and immigrated to US at age 18. Proficient in both English and Chinese.

GMAT score:740 (50Q / 39V)

Undergrad School and GPA: SUNY Binghamton, Computer science major, 2.95 GPA (no special reason for the low gpa, it is just due to immaturity)

Post-MBA goal:Short term: Career change - like to change from working in small business to working in big corporation. Interested in general management and/or entrepreneurship (can i put both as my areas of interest??), like to get into a good management trainee program after MBA.

Long term: Becoming a operational leader, in Asia-Pacific region, of a US or international company (utilize my multicultural background).

Work experience (6 years total):

I started working in a small computer networking company. The company implements internet networks for hotels. I was a team leader in the tech-support department. My work duties include overseeing tech-support staffs, monitoring the client’s networks, and maintaining a good relationship with the clients.

After the networking company, I worked in a small retail business (a chain of two local cellular phone stores). I started as a IT Consultant. In one year, I was promoted as an assistant GM and became a business partner. In two more years, I became the General Manager (my current title). Under my supervision, the company structure was enhanced, new positions and departments were created, the total revenue was significantly increased, and four more new stores were opened in the upstate New York region.

Extracurricular:1. one thing i really proud about myself is my photography skills. I consider my skill matches a "seasonal-pro", just that i don't charge people. i do photo shoot occasionally for some friends and families' special events. i do landscaping photography too, maybe i can include some of my works along with one of the essay that talks about myself?2. I do magic tricks, but mostly for children at some private parties. I am not as good as profession who can make a living with such skills, but i would say i am experience enough to call myself an amateur magician.3. I am a guitarist. Back in college time, I played in a band(one reason for the low GPA, lol), and actively involved with the music worship for the student christian fellowship group. I am also a worship team member currently in my church (i guess that kind of overlaps with the community work.4. I like skiing and snowboarding, but i don't think those have anything to do with my MBA application, correct?

Community work: I used to be an interpreter in my church, but I became too busy and didn't continue that role. I am currently a guitarist in the music worship team in my church.

Target Schools: McCombs, Cornell, Darden, Stern, (or something better?)Questions:1. Am I getting a good chance get accepted by the above schools? I understand my weaknesses include low under-grad GPA and lack of corporate exposure. Are my working experience and the 740 GMAT going to offset the weakness in my application? I heard about taking courses in community college to offset low undergrad GPA, but I don’t have such time because of work.

2. About recommendations: As a general manager, the only person above me is the business owner. He is going to give me a good recommendation demonstrating my achievement at work. I am planning to have my counselor at Christian fellowship to write me the second recommendation. As my counselor, she knows me pretty well. Also, I worked with her closely as I coordinated a couple music events for the fellowship. She should be able to give me some good words about my leadership skills. Is that a good combination of recommendation letters?

3. About area of interest, i am not so sure about entrepreneurship or general management. can i put both? or if i have to pick entrepreneurship, will it go with my long term goal just fine? I want to put entrepreneurship because i feel like it is closer to what i am doing at my job, therefore increases the change of acceptance.

4. My salary is significantly lower than average. Is that something bad for my application? That is because as business partners, both I and the business owner agreed that it is the best now to reserve the money for the company growth. Should I use the optional essay to make that clear?

5. According to my profile, would it be a waste of money to try one of the top 10? like sloan?

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Profile evaluation:Background:30 year-old male Asian American, married, has a 4 and a 5 year-old (does that matter?). Multicultural - Born in China and immigrated to US at age 18. Proficient in both English and Chinese.

GMAT score:740 (50Q / 39V)

Undergrad School and GPA: SUNY Binghamton, Computer science major, 2.95 GPA (no special reason for the low gpa, it is just due to immaturity)

Post-MBA goal:Short term: Career change - like to change from working in small business to working in big corporation. Interested in general management and/or entrepreneurship (can i put both as my areas of interest??), like to get into a good management trainee program after MBA.

Long term: Becoming a operational leader, in Asia-Pacific region, of a US or international company (utilize my multicultural background).

Work experience (6 years total):

I started working in a small computer networking company. The company implements internet networks for hotels. I was a team leader in the tech-support department. My work duties include overseeing tech-support staffs, monitoring the client’s networks, and maintaining a good relationship with the clients.

After the networking company, I worked in a small retail business (a chain of two local cellular phone stores). I started as a IT Consultant. In one year, I was promoted as an assistant GM and became a business partner. In two more years, I became the General Manager (my current title). Under my supervision, the company structure was enhanced, new positions and departments were created, the total revenue was significantly increased, and four more new stores were opened in the upstate New York region.

Extracurricular:1. one thing i really proud about myself is my photography skills. I consider my skill matches a "seasonal-pro", just that i don't charge people. i do photo shoot occasionally for some friends and families' special events. i do landscaping photography too, maybe i can include some of my works along with one of the essay that talks about myself?2. I do magic tricks, but mostly for children at some private parties. I am not as good as profession who can make a living with such skills, but i would say i am experience enough to call myself an amateur magician.3. I am a guitarist. Back in college time, I played in a band(one reason for the low GPA, lol), and actively involved with the music worship for the student christian fellowship group. I am also a worship team member currently in my church (i guess that kind of overlaps with the community work.4. I like skiing and snowboarding, but i don't think those have anything to do with my MBA application, correct?

Community work: I used to be an interpreter in my church, but I became too busy and didn't continue that role. I am currently a guitarist in the music worship team in my church.

Target Schools: McCombs, Cornell, Darden, Stern, (or something better?)Questions:1. Am I getting a good chance get accepted by the above schools? I understand my weaknesses include low under-grad GPA and lack of corporate exposure. Are my working experience and the 740 GMAT going to offset the weakness in my application? I heard about taking courses in community college to offset low undergrad GPA, but I don’t have such time because of work.

2. About recommendations: As a general manager, the only person above me is the business owner. He is going to give me a good recommendation demonstrating my achievement at work. I am planning to have my counselor at Christian fellowship to write me the second recommendation. As my counselor, she knows me pretty well. Also, I worked with her closely as I coordinated a couple music events for the fellowship. She should be able to give me some good words about my leadership skills. Is that a good combination of recommendation letters?

3. About area of interest, i am not so sure about entrepreneurship or general management. can i put both? or if i have to pick entrepreneurship, will it go with my long term goal just fine? I want to put entrepreneurship because i feel like it is closer to what i am doing at my job, therefore increases the change of acceptance.

4. My salary is significantly lower than average. Is that something bad for my application? That is because as business partners, both I and the business owner agreed that it is the best now to reserve the money for the company growth. Should I use the optional essay to make that clear?

5. According to my profile, would it be a waste of money to try one of the top 10? like sloan?

Thanks for your post. To answer your questions:

1. Stern is a stretch, but you have a competitive chance for all the other ones. I don't see your work experience as a weakness; perhaps a slight educational challenge in that you need to education the readers about your responsibilities a little more than if you were at a better known company. Your GPA is a weakness, and the GMAT does compensate.2. Sounds good to me.3. It makes sense to put general management and then entrepreneurship.4. It might make sense to explain your payment arrangements and that some of your payment is in stock options or whatever.5. I think your chances at Sloan would be poor.